A Day Full of Ladies

Brady was a fabulous sleeper last night. He slept with us from 10:30pm to 3:45am and again from 5:30 to 8am. It felt great.

We had our first lunch with the ladies of book club (Kelly, Alicia & Lindsay). Brady slept the first part of the outing on Aunt Kelly's shoulder. Then he gave mom a generous five or ten minutes to eat her salad before starting to fuss. The waiter brought mom's check lickity-split and we bailed before the business-lunch crowd could shoot any dirty looks our way. Mom's still a scaredy-cat in that respect.

Then the ladies of postpartum yoga came by for a neighborhood walk. Brady slept during the first lap but by the second cul-de-sac he was fussing for a good burp. I granted his wish, but soon he was fussing to eat again. He ate every two hours today.

Dad is off dining with a friend so I'm on bedtime duty. We introduced an evening schedule to the boy on Sunday night. How's it going by day three? Well, he gets sleepy by the time we put him down. But then he squirms about, grunting and trying to get his arms out of his swaddle for two to three hours until I feed him again and put him in bed with us. At least he's mostly quiet while he's in his crib. He really digs his twilight turtle nightlight that Grammy bought him. It casts some pretty cool constellations on the nursery ceiling. It's comforting to me, too!

Yippee! Dad's home. And he brought me leftover pizza! See ya next time!

It's All Worth It Now!

An unusually wintery day greeted us this morning. Never fear, though, this gave us an excellent excuse to introduce our puppy hat on our walk!

I routinely put Brady in his bouncy seat in the bathroom while I take a shower. I think he enjoys the steam and the white noise created by the vent. I know for certain that he enjoys the sound of the hairdryer, too. It quiets him down from a full-on-fuss. Anywho, today I gave BW one more goofy face and baby chatter before disappearing behind the shower curtain. He responded with a big, squinty-eyed, mouth-open smile!!! Dimples blaring! I paused, not knowing if it was too early for him to actually smile in response to me. But the timing was just too much of a coincidence. So I'm concluding that this was, in fact, Brady's first smile. I can say this with certainty: it's all worth it now.

We attended our first playgroup today at my girlfriend, Alicia's house. Brady slept the first half of our visit. But he's new, so he's excused from being labeled "antisocial". Apparently, Brady thinks that the proper way to say "Thank you. I like you." is by showering folks with urine. You'll recall the way he "thanked" the doctor for delivering him. Today, he thanked Ian for his hospitality by peeing on his changing table. Awesome job, Son! This is an excellent way to be invited back to playgroup! ;oP

Dad actually beat us home, thanks to Virginia-Highland traffic. So he was the one saying "yippee" today. Regardless, see ya next time!

Raincheck?

I owe Brady a big thank you! He went easy on his me today despite the fact that I made him wait five hours to eat. He should have had a meltdown in the OB's office, but he didn't. However, I also made myself wait to eat for entirely too long. So I have a massive headache and am completely unable to be witty. Can I have a raincheck?

So here are the pictures from this weekend. And we'll see ya next time.

Quit Your Planning, Planner!

It was a rainy, dreary, perfect day...perfect for staying in bed in your pj's catching z's while your baby peacefully drifts off to sleep.

So that was my plan. It looked promising at first. I put Brady in bed between me and a stack of pillows, made sure he was truly asleep, turned down the volume on Kathy Lee and Hoda and closed my eyes. Not two minutes later, I hear the familiar "Heh, heh. Heh, heh." Mr. Gas Bubble needed relief. Then it was time to feed him again. Then it was time to feed me again. So much for sleeping. At least we relaxed in the bed for a while.

Instead, we got crazy with the activity mat. Brady was kicking so hard he was falling off the back of his boppy pillow. He was awake, alert and active for a record-breaking 40 minutes! His longest mat session by far. Then we "jumped" for a while. "Jumping" consists of Brady sitting on my lap and when he flexes his legs I lift him up in the air like he's jumping...usually pairing the motion with a sound effect. Today's sound effect was something like a spring ("boi-yoi-yoi-yoing"). Brady wore himself out. Now dad is home and Brady is chatting him up about his day. Oh, hey, they're pulling out the activity mat for another round!

Happy weekend, everyone! Yippee! See ya next time.

Pleeeaaaase, Brady? Can We Go For a Walk?

Brady and I woke up relatively bright-eyed today. This week, Tim and I decided to let Brady sleep in our bed for the first half of the night. He appears to love it. Granted, our night started pretty late yesterday, but BW slept the whole stretch without a peep. He woke up around 6am, smacking his lips to eat rather than grunting and crying. You would have thought I was roused from sleep by a classical string quartet! It was so peaceful and serene.

A chilly, blustery fall day greeted us this morning. Emma and Billy had that look in their eyes (and I was feeling a little cooped up) so we took a shot at putting Brady in his car seat for a walk. Success! We waited the perfect amount of time after BW's breakfast, and I got the right amount of burps out of his tummy. He let me walk both Emma and Billy today. He had his "I love hugs" jammies on and his "I love hugs" fleece sack on, too. He donned a duckie hat and a fall-inspired orange bib and we were off. We walked so long his little nose was extra pink by the time we were done!

Although he continued to eat every three hours, he was definitely less fussy. I must finally be learning how to burp him properly. Shocking. Now if I can just master changing his diaper without inflicting emotional and physical anguish on both parties involved, we'll really be talkin'!

Now Brady is wrapped up like a burrito with his bouncy set on vibrate and we're waiting for Tim to come home from work. Woops, we just exhausted the first set of D batteries on the bouncy. Eeek, he's starting to stir!

Yippee! Dad is home just in time to hold the precious little hornet. See ya next time!

Growth Squirt

Brady must have kicked the growth effort into high gear today. He insisted upon eating every three hours and he's been pretty fussy in between. Dad just calmed him down from a 15+ minute rant. Apparently, he now loves his bath so much that his world falls apart when it's over. On the upside, he smells glorious.

We accomplished tummy time and a walk today. Clearly, we're overachievers. Brady was fussy about being strapped into his car seat, but once we got moving, he fell asleep. He enjoys the gentle bounce of the B.O.B.'s super stroller shocks.

Tummy time was pretty awesome. Brady is starting to tolerate it. He is also starting to track objects and look toward my voice. We introduced his alligator toy today. He was fascinated watching me repeat the alligator's multilingual color lesson ("Yellow, Amarillo, Jaune!"). The alligator helped with tummy time, too. Brady held his head up to look for it. He also started batting at the toys on his activity mat. I don't think he realized it was his body moving the toys, but he repeatedly reached his right arm for the toys and made contact.

The puppy picture also got its first shower today! Brady produced a very beautiful, warm fountain reminiscent of the Lake Bellagio water show ("Yeah, computer!") in Las Vegas.

Since Brady insisted upon being held all day long, I was unable to blog during the normal time slot. So Tim is already home and we're catching up on DVR-ed TV shows while Brady sleeps contentedly in a double-swaddle in his bouncy. So, I send you a belated "YIPPEE". See ya next time.

Social Mommy, Sleepy Baby

We bid farewell to Greaty and Grammy this morning. We miss them already! Come back!

Brady slept for FIVE HOURS IN A ROW last night! The secret formula: Grammy's arms, the glider and a lot of blankets. He did sleep a couple hours in his crib at first. Then Grammy decided to spoil him a little on her last night in town. Another added bonus - Dad slept eight hours uninterrupted and Mom slept six. We were very bright-eyed today. Dad is even mowing the lawn!

This afternoon, Brady and I had our first postpartum yoga class at the Pierce Studio. The class was fabulous. It was 8-10 new moms with infants ranging in age from three weeks to four months. It was a laid back baby zone where moms felt comfortable feeding their babies, changing, soothing and playing. Our teacher even holds the fussy ones while the moms do their gentle yoga stretches. We finish out class by having hot tea and trading postpartum & newborn baby questions and stories. Brady was the only infant to sleep the entire class. I'm sure next week he will be the only inconsolable infant. Brady also slept in the car both there and home. I think he likes the rumbling of turbo-charged German engineering.

Now Brady is chillin' in his bouncy seat again. Tim came home early after a business meeting so we said "yippee" hours ago! See ya next time!

Gimme My Hands!

After I posted to the blog yesterday Brady really got revved up! He was awake and alert for hours. He put several of yesterday's Babies 'R Us purchases to good use, too.

For the past couple weeks, Brady hasn't liked to lay flat. This is why he digs his bouncy seat so much. So we got him a positioner for his bassinet. It allows him to lay at a 30-40 degree angle. It made all the difference. He was actually happy to lay in his bassinet.

Brady is definitely aware of his arms. Since birth (and in utero - according to several ultrasound photos) he has insisted upon "having" his arms when he's awake and wrapped up in a blanket. When swaddled, Brady routinely gets all red in the face and grunts while trying to pull his arms out. One morning Tim and I woke up to find Brady in a "toga." He had pulled his arm out of both the SwaddleMe AND his pj's - leaving an exposed arm and shoulder! Anywho, Brady has started to connect his hand with his mouth this week. So we got him some wrist rattles to help him find his hands. He was watching his ceiling fan and shaking those rattles like a mad man!

Today, we laid low. We missed Dad. It was weird watching UGA football without him. Now Brady's chillin' post-bottle with Greaty. Greaty is singing "I love you Brady, oh yes I do" and there's some serious bum-rumbling going on over there, too.

Brady & Great-y

With Tim out of town, it's just the hens watching the baby. And the dominant hen today has been Funny. She has given herself the name "Great-y" because she's the great grandma and "Great-y" rhymes with Brady.

Grammy & Greaty relieved me for lunch today. I had a fabulous social outing with my friends from work, Mandy, Webster & John. I toyed with the idea of a beer at La Fonda, but it was rainy today which meant wet streets and people who forget how to drive.

After lunch we packed Emma and Brady in the car and headed to Babies 'R Us and the grocery store - quite ambitious. Greaty stayed in the car w/ the boy and the girl while Grammy and I shopped. Brady was *quite* fussy until Greaty moved to the back seat to soothe him. Some new lullabys were born during our outing today. Stay tuned for the drop of Greaty's debut record.

Now Grammy's making her fabulous spaghetti sauce. Greaty is soothing Brady. And I'm having my cherished glass of wine and missing Tim. He's in Florida for his 15-year high school reunion. He plans on calling it a night early and sleeping in. Am I a wonderful wife or what!? ;o)

And here's a shout-out to my darling sister, Ronnee, who turns 30 today. Happy Birthday, Ronnee! Wear 30 like a badge! You've earned it! Thirty is a wonderful age to be! I love you!

Happy Friday, everyone!

An Exciting Day!

Holy moly! So much to report today. Brady had an appointment at the doctor and then Grammy and Funny came to visit him.

At his 1 month appointment, Brady weighs 9 lbs 12 oz (50th percentile) and measures 22 1/4 inches long (77th percentile). His head measures 15.4 inches. So he's a growin'! Brady got his first shot today, too. Hep B. He didn't like the stick, but as soon as I picked him up, he stopped crying. Doctors orders: Brady can start sleeping in his crib and we have to start introducing a bottle each day (and Mom can't give it to him).






And how exciting! Brady's great grandma (a.k.a. "Funny") came to hold him! Now he smells like Funny's perfume. And Brady is very happy that Grammy is back in town to see him. She even got him to sleep in his crib! So instead of his bouncy seat, Brady is chillin' in his crib waiting for Tim to come home.



Yippee! Dad is home! See ya next time.

Mardi Avec Monsieur Boudreaux

Houston, we have diaper rash!

As you all well know, I am both a spreadsheet geek and a touch paranoid. So I am still tracking in MS Excel everything going in and coming out of my boy. I routinely have a hard time marking an "X" in the dirty diaper column because Brady has a knack for producing a teeny something w/ every little toot. Unfortunately, Brady's dirty little habit has also yielded some bumpy redness. Poor love. Luckily, Aunts Ronnee and Holly supplied us with Boudreaux's Butt Paste, which is truly pasty! But watch out! After applying it and wiping the excess on Brady's bath towel, I read that it stains fabrics and clothing. Sorry, cute little ducky towel!

I must also pay homage to the wonder that is the SwaddleMe. Our dear friends Alicia and Ian (Brady's BFF) came to visit us today. Brady was a fussy little fusspot. We both got all sweaty trying unsuccessfully to calm down while "entertaining" our guests. *Light bulb illuminates* Let's try the SwaddleMe! I strap my baby boy's arms down like a mental patient in a straitjacket. He quiets down immediately.

Infant Torture - Round Two: I attempt to take Brady to the post office. And I'm talking about the automated postage machine - not the line of the most miserable people known to man at the staffed service (and I use that word loosely) counter. He holds it together. But attempting the CVS Pharmacy drive-through was where the real pain was inflicted. Brady hit such an intense new level of wailing that Emma started to get nervous - giving me kisses as if to say "I'm sorry, mom, for whatever I did but please make it stop!" So we're back home and back in the SwaddleMe. Just look at the serenity it brings (see picture above). This picture was taken before Brady gave himself his first scratch (see picture below).

Yippee! Dad is home! See ya next time.

A Social Sunday

As predicted, Brady was up last night from 3 to 5:30 am. After one recorded episode of Conan, I wedged him between the couch, my arm and a pillow and went to sleep hoping that he would soon follow suit. He did. We stayed there until 8:30am.

We had a set of visitors today. My boss, Tricia, and her husband, Nick, came to meet Brady and they brought Mellow Mushroom pizza!

Clearly, I've been lacking in social stimulus lately because I dang near talked their ears off. Brady slept the entire visit. Yet another person believes that Brady looks just like Tim. No trace of mom to be seen anywhere. Hmmm.

A Perfect Football Baby.

Not much to report today. Brady was the ultimate football baby! He slept all day long. Clearly, this means that he'll be awake all night. But since it gave us the ability to watch several SEC college football games pretty much uninterrupted, we're counting this as nothing less than a gift from our little man. Thanks, Buddy!

We also branched out into a couple new onesies today. He started out with the red and white striped number w/ a puppy patch but quickly doused it in spit-up. He's currently sporting his blue "charming" dictionary onesie. It has a little spot of spit on it, but it's so cute that we're keeping it. He also properly fits into his first pair of pants today!

I'll also take this time to tell you that Brady was a perfect gentleman on his first public outing yesterday. We took him to the patio of La Fonda Latina for dinner. I've never, ever been so excited to go out to dinner. We got a little piece of "normal" back last night. It was lovely.

Everyday is Friday!

Happy Friday, everyone! Although I must say, to Brady, Emma, Billy and I everyday is as wonderful as Friday - at least while I'm on maternity leave.

Our day started with some unfortunate news. My friends from work were supposed to come hang out with Brady for lunch. Unfortunately, thanks to the downright awful state of today's economy, the asset custodian our company uses (Charles Schwab) decided to change its margin requirements yielding a slew of unexpected margin calls for our clients. So friends had to prioritize and postpone lunch. Nuts. Maybe next week. So mom was all scrubbed, dressed and decorated for Brady's benefit alone. Maybe that's why he decided to look at me so much today (stay tuned...).

Today, Brady exhausted himself at "the gym." I'm referring, of course, to his Boppy activity mat. He first performed the obligatory tummy time. After adequate frustration with his inability to hold his gigantic noggin up once he'd repeatedly lifted it, we flipped over for some arms and legs calisthenics. This Brady could do for quite some time (see here). What tickled me was that today Brady actually looked for me. I had turned his mat so that he could see his toys and the tv, which meant I had to turn him away from me. As you can see from the picture, he was turning his head to see where I was. Wow. He likes me! I know it sounds silly, but this was a pleasant surprise.

Brady stayed up for a couple hours thereafter...until he got so tired he started fussing at me. It took us a while to determine the source of the fussing (diaper clean, baby warm enough, had just been fed, had a couple of good burps, arm/leg not falling off). Since he doesn't care what you read to him, I read him a chapter from my book and he fell fast asleep. Now he's sleeping in his bouncy seat all burrito-style and we're anxiously waiting for Tim to come home from work.

Although last week he was eating every four hours during the day and every six hours at night (his choice), this week he wants to eat every three hours during the day and four hours at night. So he should be able to eat his first dinner before Tim gets home, which means Mom's cocktail-half-hour might coincide with Dad's! How's *that* for a lovely Friday?

Yippee! Dad is home! See you next time.

Welcome to the World, Dear Brady!

Welcome to Brady's Crib! Since our families are spread throughout the U.S., Tim and I want to use this blog as a way to keep everyone up to date with all-things-Brady - especially those precious details that don't quite make it to the telephone updates. A dear friend has also advised me to keep notes for myself on Brady's early days. What better place to do it?

Our sweet Brady Logan was born September 15, 2008 at 5:25pm. Although this blog was created by Tim late one night during our 4-day stay at Northside Hospital, it has taken us a while to post! As you can imagine, life has been a bit different. Wonderful and amazing, but different. Brady has grown and changed so much in these past couple weeks. I can't possibly recount all the ways. So let me just start with today.

Brady is now three weeks old (plus 3 days). It's just a regular ol' Thursday. Lots of sleeping, eating, a little fussin', a little poopin'. Brady is quite the little spitter (note the bib in the picture) so we had a bath in the sink this afternoon to wash his stinky neck. We also took care of his bottom while we were at it. He now smells like a glorious little Burt's Bee. He didn't cry at all this time. I think it helped to have the warm water running on his chest. He kicked and punched around happily.

Brady let mom eat breakfast, drink coffee, take a shower, do some laundry and take care of some paperwork. Of course, the one condition is that he be held the entire time. Brady likes to watch the ceiling fans when I hold him, which is what he's doing in this picture. We took a walk around the neighborhood with the dogs (Brady slept). We also trekked thorough the Starbuck's drive thru. Now he's chillin' all wide-eyed in his bouncy seat (with his bib still on) and we're waiting for Tim to come home. I suppose with all his sleepiness today, he might choose to be awake at 11pm and 4am like last night!

Yippee! Dad is home! See ya next time!